Automatic feeder for printing presses



v. c. EPPINQ AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES Feb. 2 1929.

Filed Marsh 15. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet r v. c. EPPING AUTQMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES- Feb. 26, 1929.

Filed March 15, 1928 ksm 4 3 Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES,

1,703,268 PATENTgDF'FIC E.

VINCENT C. EPPING, OF DAVEIVPORT, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR I'RINIING PRESSES.

Application filed March 1.5, 1928. Serial No. 261,576.

As is well known to those familiar with the art, such devices as at present constructed are incapable of use with curled paper or paper, the edge of which has a tendency to turn up. This isd-ue to the fact that the grippers operate to receive the edge of a sheet which lies in the same plane as the bottom of the separator feet and accordingly if the paper curls, so that it-is deflected from this plane, the grippers do not properly engage with the edge of the sheet and in closing, tend to tear or bend theedge of the sheet, so that the'sheet is destroyed. For this reason, sheets which have been curled or the edges of which tend to curl are usually fed by hand. As a great'many types of paper which are employed in printing have a ten dency to curl, this results in a considerable loss of time and in an increased printing cost where such papers areemployed. Accordingly, an important object of this invention is to provide a construction. engaging the edge of the sheet to hold it in the proper plane which will not interfere with the coac-tion of the grippers or of the separator feet.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide an attachment for this purpose which may be applied to the bar upon which the separator feet are ordinarily mounted without in any way interfering with the operation of the separator feet and without any alterations in the structure of the bar.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of paper feeding apparatus having applied thereto curl removers constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view therethrough, a sheet being illustrated as partially raised;

Figure 4c is an enlarged sectional view through the curl remover detached;

Figure 5 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the feed rack rock bar of paper feed- These bars are ing apparatus fora press. usually square in cross-section and have inounted thereon a plurality of separator 'eet.

These feet engage paper of the stock pile designated at 12 at points spaced from the edge thereof and operate thereon by suction to lift the topmost sheet from the pile, tlSrIllustrated in Figure 3. With the sheet held in this position, the exposed edge is engaged by grippers 13. In accordance with my invention, I provide yokes 14 adjustable longitus dinally of the feed rack rock bar 10 and having secured thereto spring tongues 15, the

free edges 16 of which are in the same plane as the lower or paper engaging faces 17 of the separator feet and extend to the edge of a stock pile 12 with which the feeder is coacting. It will be obvious that by arranging the paper so that the edges of the sheets which are to be gripped by the grippers 13 will curl upwardly, these spring tongues will engage with this edge and hold it straight, so that it is properly positioned for engagement and will not be folded or torn by the grippers. The yokes 14 preferably comprise a substantially U-shaped casting 18, one of the arms 19 of which has pivoted to the upper end thereof a cam clamp 20 for engaging the surface of the bar 10 which is exposed between the upper ends of the arms. The base 21' is slotted to receive the edge of an extension 22 formed on the spring tongue 15. Such a device may be attached to or removed from the feed rack rock bar by simply properly positioning the cam clamp and slipping the casting from the bar. One of these devices is preferably arranged between each pair of adjacent separator feet and is so positioned that it will clear the grippers 13 in operation of the press.

This is not diflicult since the spring tongues are transversely curved and only the edge 16 thereof comes into engagement with the paper. Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially departing from the spirit of the invention, I do not limit myself to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim 1. The combination with the feed rack rock bar of automatic paper feeding apparatus for printing presses and the separator feet carried thereby, of means carried by said bar and engaging the outer edge of a sheet engaged by the separator feet in alignment with the separator feet to hold said outer edge coplanar with the bottom surfaces of said separator feet.

2. The combination with the feed rack rock bar of automatic paper feeding apparatus for printing presses and. separator feet carried thereby and adjustable therealong, of yokes carried by the bar and adjustable therealong having portions to engage the edge of a sheet lifted by the separator feet in alignment with the separator feet and n'iaintain the same against deviation in one direction from the plane of the bottom surfaces of the separator feet.

3-. he combination With the feed rack rock bar of automatic paper feeding apparatus for printing presses and separator feet carried thereby and adjustable therealong, of yokes carried by the bar and adjustable therealong having portions to engage the edge of a sheet lifted by the separator feet in alignment with the separator feet and maintain the same.

against deviation in one direction from the plane of the bottom surfaces of the separator feet, said yokes being each substantially U- shaped in cross section, and a clamping element carried by one arm of each yoke for engagement with the feed rack rock bar to hold the yoke in adjusted positions.

4, The combination with the feed rack rock bar of automatic paper feeding apparatus for printing presses and separator feet carried thereby and adjustable therealong, of yokes carried by the bar and adjustable therealong having portions to engage the edge of a sheet lifted by the separator feet and maintain the same against deviation in one direction from the plane of the bottom surfaces of the separator feet, the sheet engaging portions of said yokes each comprising a spring metal tongue having a free edge normally co-planar and aligned With the bottom surfaces of the separator feet.

5. The combination with the feed rack rock bar of automatic paper feeding apparatus for printing presses and separator feet carried thereby and adjust-able therealong of yokes carried by the bar and adjustable therealong having portions to engage the edge of a sheet lifted by the separator feet and maintain the same against deviation in one direction from the plane of the bottom surfaces of the sepa rator feet, the sheet engaging portions of said yokes each comprising a sprlng metal tongue having a free edge normally coplanar with the bottom surfaces of the separator feet, said free edge being disposed substantially perpendicular to the ed e of the engaged sheet.

6. The combination with the feed rack rock bar of automatic paper feeding apparatus for printing presses and separator feet carried thereby and adjustable therealong, of yokes carried by the bar and adjustable therealong having portions to engage the edge of a sheet lifted by the separator feet and maintain the same against deviation in one direction from the plane of the bottom surfaces of the separator feet, the sheet engaging portions of said yokes each comprising a spring metal tongue having a free edge normally coplanar With the bottom surfaces of the separator feet, said free edge being disposed substantially perpendicular to the edge of the engaged sheet, the tongue transversely to said edge being arcuately curved,

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

VINCENT O. EPPING. 

